New York

Fake Lawyer May Avoid Real Prison Sentence

A paralegal who impersonated a lawyer for two years at a well-known plaintiffs insurance coverage law firm could get probation if he repays New York City-based Anderson Kill & Olick at least $150,000 by his scheduled Jan. 30 sentencing. Otherwise, Brian Valery can expect a prison term of between five…

Oct 10, 2007 8:40 PM CDT

Cleary Gottlieb Tops Diversity Rankings

A new report suggests many large New York law firms are still lagging behind in terms of diversity. Out of 74 New York firms providing information, 27 do not have any Hispanic partners, 25 do not have any African-American partners, and 21 do not have any Asian-American partners, according to…

Oct 10, 2007 6:10 PM CDT

Lawyer Sues Over ‘Biblical-Type Explosion of Roaches’

A lawyer and his wife have filed a lawsuit against the management of a historic New York condo building because of what he calls “a biblical-type explosion of roaches.” The couple, Alan Arkin (not the actor) and Suzanne Bagert, say in their suit that managers of the historic building known…

Oct 10, 2007 2:59 PM CDT

LGBT Case: Woman in Women’s Room

In a cutting-edge transgendered rights case, a woman is suing over allegedly being forced out of a women’s room at a New York City restaurant. Yes, you read that right—a biological, from-birth female is suing because she was ejected from a women’s room, and this is something of a cause…

Oct 9, 2007 10:22 PM CDT

London Snubbed So Far in White & Case Restructuring

White & Case’s London office doesn’t have a single representative on the firm’s newly restructured management committees—so far. The firm’s new chairman, Hugh Verrier, has already selected the members of his new executive committee, the American Lawyer reports. And only two spots are still open on the partnership committee, elected…

Oct 8, 2007 11:30 AM CDT

NY Admits Strip Searches Violated Settlement

New York’s Department of Corrections has agreed to settle a lawsuit that contended as many as 150,000 inmates at Rikers Island were improperly strip-searched in violation of a 2002 settlement. The inmates were nonviolent and had been charged with misdemeanors, the New York Times reports. The city will stop the…

Oct 5, 2007 3:47 PM CDT

Judge Goes Easy on Insider-Trading Lawyer Couple

A lawyer couple who pleaded guilty to insider trading will not have to spend any time in prison. U.S. District Judge Victor Marrero of New York noted that defendant Christopher Collotta, 34, suffers from heart problems caused by a battle with cancer, the New York Law Journal reports. Collotta was…

Oct 5, 2007 1:01 PM CDT

Former Top Judge Regains Law License

The former chief judge of New York’s highest court has regained his law license, 15 years after he was arrested for harassing socialite Joy Silverman. The 77-year-old Sol Wachtler told the New York Post he is delighted. He plans to do legal work for the poor and mentally ill, the…

Oct 3, 2007 2:29 PM CDT

Ex-Big Firm Lawyer Pleads in Teen Sex Case

A former mergers and acquisitions lawyer with Cravath, Swaine & Moore has pleaded guilty to charges stemming from allegations he had sex with three teenage girls. James Colliton was accused of paying a woman to have sex with her two daughters and having sex with a third girl, the New…

Oct 3, 2007 2:10 PM CDT

Judge Won’t Allow Plaintiff to Depose Himself

A judge has refused to allow a businessman who says he fears “bodily harm” during Russian business trips to take his own deposition. Magistrate Judge Theodore Katz of Manhattan said plaintiff Michael Tierney’s concern of murder did not warrant a self-deposition to preserve testimony, the New York Law Journal reports.…

Oct 3, 2007 12:50 PM CDT

Latest ID Theft Target: Mayor Bloomberg

Someone at the bank noticed when two fraudulent checks for a total of more than $400,000 were drawn against New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s personal account. But an earlier fraudulent Internet withdrawal for a mere $10,000 reportedly went undetected until the subsequent scam was investigated. Two New Jersey men have…

Oct 2, 2007 11:06 PM CDT

Mayer Brown Loses Another Partner

In the latest partner defection from Mayer Brown’s office in Los Angeles, corporate and securities practitioner Kenneth Kohler has joined the Los Angeles office of Morrison & Foerster. A number of other partners also have left Mayer Brown’s Los Angeles office in recent months, including Louis Eatman, the former national…

Oct 2, 2007 9:41 PM CDT

Isiah Thomas Liable for Harassment, But Not Punitives

Updated: A federal jury has found that New York Knicks coach Isiah Thomas sexually harassed a team executive. Jurors also found that Madison Square Garden was liable for the harassment and will have to pay punitive damages, the New York Times reports. Jurors could not decide whether Thomas should pay…

Oct 2, 2007 5:50 PM CDT

Ex-Associate’s Gay-Bias Suit Partly Tossed

Sullivan & Cromwell has succeeded in narrowing a former associate’s gay-bias lawsuit against the law firm. Manhattan Judge Bernard Fried dismissed two claims by ex-associate Aaron Charney on Friday, the New York Law Journal reports. Fried ruled Charney could not pursue a claim for intentional infliction of emotional distress since…

Oct 2, 2007 12:07 PM CDT

NY 1st-Year Pay Plan: $250K, But No Jobs

Observers are waiting to see what the next salary move will be in New York City, where law firms that tried to surge ahead on first-year pay are now neck-and-neck with competitors from other major cities. Simpson Thacher & Bartlett’s move earlier this year to raise starting pay to $160,000…

Oct 1, 2007 7:41 PM CDT